Chocolate Cardamom Babka with A Whiskey Glaze

Babka, the sweet bread and cake like yummy dessert from Eastern Europe is something I’ve been meaning to make for the longest time ever. It seemed like every time I logged onto Pinterest a million images of the babka were on offer to me! Not to mention Instagram.

It was therefore high time, that I delved into it. And when Paul John Whiskey, a whiskey brand in India asked me to create a recipe, I was like aha! 🙂 Now the thing is that I don’t really drink alcohol and I am considered a bit of a woos in India (or anywhere else for that matter!) because of it. I’ll have an occasional glass wine but have no tolerance or likeability to alcohol. I’m just never going to be your drinking buddy! But give me a recipe with booze in it, and I’m naturally attracted to it. I think maybe I should go and have a think on why that is. Hehe.

I’ve added some good old cardamom to the bread here because, well, I can’t seem to stay away from it… and the chocolate filling of course has all sorts of deliciousness.

I do need to tell you some tips for melting your chocolate. Even though I have been doing it for years I still make dumbass mistakes. So maybe here are some tips so you don’t.

Always always melt your chocolate in a double boiler. This way the chocolate is not in direct contact with the fire and has less chances of being burned. You don’t want burnt chocolate. The heat on the double boiler should also not be so high that water splashes onto the chocolate. Never cover melted chocolate as condensation can occur and again you don’t want moisture in your chocolate. If moisture does touch your chocolate it will seize and become lumpy and hard.

IF you do burn your chocolate, and it becomes a muddy lump, cool it down a little first and then try adding some more chocolate chunks and butter till it loosens while whisking vigorously.

As I’ve said never add liquid to your melted chocolate. If for some reason you do, surprisingly adding more liquid should fix this problem.

If nothing else helps, you might have to use the chocolate for baking.

For the dough, whisk the vanilla into the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Use a fork to lightly mix the yeast into the milk. Then, in this order, add the flours, cardamom, eggs, sugar, salt, and finally the butter in small batches.

Mix on the lowest speed, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, and to pull the dough off the hook as it accumulates, until the dough is well combined, about 2 minutes. If the dough is very dry, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time; if the dough looks wet, add more all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix until the dough is smooth and has good elasticity, 4 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out on top. Lightly dust the top of the dough. Grab the top portion of the dough and stretch it away from you, tearing the dough. Then fold it on top of the middle of the dough. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the stretch, tear, and fold. Continue to do this until you can stretch a small piece of dough very thin without it tearing, about 5 minutes. Then use your hands to push and pull the dough against the work surface and in a circular motion to create a nice round of dough. Set the ball in an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Set the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and press it into a thick rectangle. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before proceeding.

To make the filling, set all ingredients in a double boiler, at medium heat and stir till the chocolate is nice and smooth. Set aside to cool.

To make the whiskey glaze, combine all ingredients in a pan, over medium heat, stir till sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to rest for about 45 minutes. Begin by rolling out the dough lengthwise and when it is about a ¼ inch thick. Pull and shape the corners into a rectangle shape. Spread on your filling to the edges. Roll the dough lengthwise. Working from the top edge, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. As you roll it, push and pull the cylinder a little to make it even tighter. Then, holding the cylinder at the ends, lift and stretch it slightly to make it even tighter and longer.

Use a bread knife to slice the cylinder in half lengthwise so you have 2 long pieces, and set them with the chocolate layers exposed. Overlap one strip on top of another to make an X, making sure the exposed chocolate part of the dough faces up; continue till you reach the end of the strips.

Set aside to rise, about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C.

Once the dough rises brush with an egg wash made from an egg and a little water. Bake for 45-50 mins or until the bread is golden. Check after around 20 minutes and if the bread is browning too quickly tent with foil.

Once done, liberally brush with the whiskey syrup. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to completely cool before slicing!

About Me

Hi my name is Rakhee! I’m Indian, lived in the US and then moved to The Netherlands (hence the sari clad lady on the bike!) I am a graphic designer/ photographer and boxofspice is the space where I bring the two together. [Read more...]